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Friday, November 16, 2007

OMNILAB MEDIA, KMM CREATE NEW DIGITAL FILM COMPANY

OmnilabMedia, Australia/NZ’s largest, privately owned, vertically integrated content development and media service business and Kennedy Miller Mitchell (KMM), the company behind the award winning Happy Feet, Babe and Mad Max movies - today announced their partnership in a significant new digital media company.Says George Miller (above right): “The brave new age of digital film-making is little more than a decade old. It offers extraordinary possibilities for storytellers like us who strive to break new ground with each of our movies. KMM had been looking for a partner to start a new Australian owned and based digital film company for quite a while. I had found it heartbreaking to watch the home-grown talent pool that emerged in Australian cinema go overseas because there was no continuity of high-end work in this country.KMM’s partnership with Omnilab Media and the Mapp family is our attempt to stop history repeating itself and reverse this Australian ‘brain drain’. We have the perfect union of Omnilab Media’s management, resources and infrastructure with KMM’s creative film making expertise. Omnilab Media have built a very successful business in an uncertain climate and this, together with KMM’s aspiration to achieve the highest level of storytelling, is a great match. We really see this as a strong marriage with a view to making many beautiful children over a long period of time!”Omnilab Media Managing Director Christopher Mapp (above left) said, “When we first entered into discussions with KMM at the beginning of the year, we were all inspired at the thought of creating a hub of film making excellence here in Australia. With a consistent stream of exceptional creative projects coming into this new company, we have made firm investments and commitments to grow and expand the team. I’m pleased to say we have already attracted back some of the best Australian creative talent from around the world.”The new company will be based at Omnilab’s facility in Yurong Street, East Sydney. Commenting on its future potential, KMM’s Doug Mitchell said, “Right from the beginning we made the decision to join forces with the Mapp family and personally invest in this new company to help build and grow the Australian digital film making industry. We have been inspired by the New Zealanders who are leading the way with their comprehensive film making on such works as Lord of the Rings and King Kong, and who are now attracting the world’s top filmmakers.”The new company’s future strategy has been agreed by Omnilab Media, the Mapp family and KMM with Christopher Mapp adding, ““We are continuing to invest in the industry for the long term and this new venture with KMM is a true extension of our passion and drive to grow digital film making in Australia.”With the new company in place and a growing team of top talent, George Miller concluded, “We now have a very real opportunity to build on past successes with a continuous flow of ambitious projects and together, contribute to the future of digital cinema.”